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Monday, July 7, 2014

I am totally on a chocolate-orange kick these days! I think it's because during the (sometimes) intense heat of the summer, a pure chocolate dessert can be too rich on the palate, but by adding a pop of citrus everything turns out light and completely approachable. Favourites like those "Terry's Chocolate" Brownies are perfectly at home with a scoop of sorbet, and even this dense, almond laced, ganached chocolate torte is at home during a summer garden dinner thanks to a bright orange note.

Like traditional tortes (i.e. Sacher), this cake is dense and packed with nuts... but unlike most recipes you see, those nuts aren't held together by eggs, and the ganache isn't made of heavy cream. Nope, this cake is completely vegan, with balsamic vinegar and fruity extra virgin olive oil accenting the orange flavour and just the barest tinge of cocoa in the batter. The true chocolate star is the ganache glaze, using decadent bittersweet chocolate, orange juice and a teeny dab of oil to form a rich, thick crown on top. With such star players in this recipe (which I totally adapted from the book Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan), I didn't want to do the standard multilayered look either, so this single-layer recipe is a lot less finicky to deal with than a delicate stacked one.

I always think of French gourmet cuisine when it comes to nut-based cakes like this one, and definitely when it comes to pairing fruit and chocolate. Our #HolidayFoodParty theme this time around is Bastille Day, which falls on the 14th of July this year, and by the looks of things we have tout le parti planned! Check out all the treats below and be sure to stop by and say bonjour!